Capstone: Apl Prac & Princ Ldg

3.2 Discussion. A Good Theory

Getting Started

If you eat tacos, do you select a hard or soft shell? Do you prefer pick-up trucks, SUVs, or passenger cars? Would you choose apple pie, peach pie, coconut cream pie, or a different type of pie altogether?  

Each of us has preferences. We have things that attract us, things that we like, or things that just seem to make sense to us. In many respects, leadership theories are the same way. Are you a transformational, servant, authentic, or adaptive leader? One or more of those leadership theories might just seem clearer or more accurate to you about “how it works.” This assignment will give you the opportunity to collaborate with your other classmates, and consider the variety of theories, frameworks, and resources you have used in your degree program.  

Which ones just seem to make the most sense to you... who you are... and how you want to lead? Understanding those most important or most attractive perspectives will give you a good foundation for your current and future leadership opportunities.  

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Articulate key theories and frameworks about leadership.  

Background Information

During each course of your academic program, you have been exposed to a variety of resources (e.g., texts, books, articles, webpages, videos). You have also studied various theories, models, and frameworks that provide insights or tools for thinking about and practicing leadership. It is unlikely that you can have each of those in mind at any one point in time when you are leading. For most leaders, having a few core (and sound!) theories or ideas about leading that are lived out well is more important to effective leadership than knowing about a lot of theories but not being able to put them into good practice. 

This video provides a general structure (categories) of leadership theories. You will find some similar categorizations in a variety of leadership texts. There is no one universally accepted structure.

This video provides more depth of leadership theory categories and specific theories within some of those categories.

So, what have you learned in the program that seems like the most important things to hold on to and apply in your own organization(s)?  (Do not just focus on the various theories discussed in the videos shown here. Focus on what you strongly connected with during the program).

Instructions

1. Read Chapters 5 and 6 in the course text,  Leadership in Christian Perspective.

2. Review the information in the Getting Started and Background Information sections. 

3. Review resources from past courses in your degree program, especially focusing on theories, frameworks, or models that you studied that were especially meaningful to you.

4. Look ahead to  Assignment 3.3 (new tab)  to understand the parts of your Capstone Project that you will submit this workshop.  

5. Consider the following prompts:  

a. What are the two most important theories or frameworks that you studied in the program for how to lead? What attracts you to those theories? How have you put them into practice? 

b. What are some of the most important resources (e.g., books, articles) that you read or used during your program? What is it about those resources that seem so compelling?  

6. Compose a 250 to 300-word initial post. You do not need to answer each of the prompts. Rather, use them to stimulate your thinking. Complete reading, research, and review to make your post that might also help you start to develop your Assignment 3.3.